


Outshining the stars

by rubia_peregrina



Series: Outgrowing the roses [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Action, Gen, Near Death Experiences, darkest day - freeform, no betas we die like pokemons in a nuzlocke, why couldn't these two be more involved with the plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23945053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubia_peregrina/pseuds/rubia_peregrina
Summary: They’d barely interacted during the Challenge, the few words they’d exchanged not being particularly pleasant.But they say that hard times bring people together, so what better time to team up than the very apocalypse ?
Relationships: Beet | Bede & Mary | Marnie
Series: Outgrowing the roses [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726156
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be included as a flashback in another shot I was working on first, but then I kept writing more and more for it, so it ended up its own piece. And now, it can be read as a stand-alone ! While the second part of this series will be more about introspection and character dynamics, this one is mostly old-fashioned action, so strap up ;D

“Thievuls on our tail ! Rid us of them, would you ?”

“I see ‘em ! But I’ll need ‘em a little closer for that, just keep goin’ !”

The vast fields stretching between Route 10 and Hammerlocke, usually crossed only by the train track, were currently the setting of a scene worthy of an Unovan movie.

Along said tracks, a Rapidash galloping south ; chasing after it, a horde of barking Thievuls, most likely looking to rob the two Trainers mounting it.

Marnie, without letting the threat out of sight, reached behind her back with one hand, while the other firmly held onto Bede’s coat. Thievuls had speed, but not stamina ; they’d give up after a few minutes. But those minutes would be useless stress for Bede’s Rapidash, and the possibility of some well-aimed Nightslashes. Better take care of them as soon as possible.

So, as the beasts closed the distance between them in a decisive sprint, Marnie pulled out one of Team Yell’s loudspeakers. She’d originally brought it along to cheer for Gloria that day, but…

“What are you waiting for ?!” Bede hissed, never taking his eyes off the road ahead.

She paid him no mind, instead locking eyes with the apparent leader of the pack.

“Hold on tight,” she simply answered, twisting herself away from the boy as much as she could without letting go of her hold.

The leading Thievul sprung up, forelegs outstretched, all claws out.

Marnie held the loudspeaker to her lips, took a deep breath and...

_**“SCRAM !!”** _

She yelled right at its face ; the poor critter only had time to fold back its ears before crashing on the ground, missing its target. The rest of the pack recoiled and scattered in surprise, some losing balance and tumbling as well.

As Rapidash continued its course, Marnie, although feeling a little sorry for them, gave a small satisfactory grin.

“Arceus,” Bede muttered as she packed away the loudspeaker. “Can’t you use your Pokémons like a normal person ?”

“Sorry, but I wanna save their stamina too,” she replied, turning back to her initial position. “And it gets the job done ?”

“I guess it does. But if I have any ringing in my ears after this is all over, I’m suing you.”

“You should be fine. My voice doesn’t pack that much yet.”

Now, one might wonder how Marnie had found herself in this situation. So let’s rewind a little, shall we ?

\-----------

“Whaddya mean, Hammerlocke is being closed off ?”

“What it means, lassie. I’m sorry, but our colleagues in the area are already reporting power outages and hazardous weather ; we had to stop the trains, and flying our Corviknights is outta the question, for everyone’s safety. We’ll just have to wait until it calms down a bit, ok ?”

Marnie knew she couldn’t argue with that. So she gave a silent nod to the train station employee, who smiled apologetically at her before hurrying off to his coworkers.

What now ?

Not twenty minutes prior, the chairman’s face had vanished from Wyndon Stadium’s screen, a huge beam of energy had pierced off the pitch, and Leon had dashed off, Gloria following suit. A few rows away, Marnie had spotted Hop clumsily making his way through the dumbfounded, already panicking crowd and towards the nearest exit.

“The hell was that about ?” Piers had muttered through his teeth, next to Marnie. “The Darkest Day ? As in the old stories ?”

“I’m not sure I got everything either,” Raihan had said from his seat beside Piers’. “But one thing I know is that Hammerlocke’s in trouble. I’m outta here,” he’d declared, standing up.

“Let’s not panic and scatter right away, ” Kabu had then calmly interjected. “Some of us should head to Hammerlocke – starting indeed with you, Raihan, but we must also manage the crowd here. Our first priority is the people’s and Pokémon’s safety. Let’s split and act quickly, before commotion leads to injuries.”

Marnie had been barely listening, eyes still fixed to where Hop had made his exit. She’d vaguely registered Piers urging her to get to safety while he took care of things with the others ; wordlessly, she’d stood up and had raced up the terraces, following Hop’s trail.

When she’d actually reached the exit, though, she’d only had time to see him and Gloria taking off on their Corviknights’ backs. So she’d dashed to the train station instead.

And now here she stood, breathless and at loss. She exited the building, taking a few uncertain steps and grasping at the fragments of her usual composure. _Calm down,_ she ordered herself. _Panickin’ won’t lead you anywhere._

Rather, it had been what led her there in the first place, only to stand there dumbly without knowing what to do. She could call Piers, who was, supposedly, still with at least some of the other Gym Leaders. Right, Raihan was going to head to Hammerlocke, most likely on his Flygon. Maybe he hadn’t taken off yet...

Marnie fished off her phone, but as she was swiping through her contacts, a noise she recognized as hooves on concrete made her look up.

Indeed, a Rapidash was making its way through the street, approaching her position. A wild Pokémon in a frenzy? Unlikely, in the heart of the capital, and so far from the their natural habitat.

Maybe...

Without thinking, Marnie stepped out of the station’s front and firmly planted her heels on the ground, effectively standing on the critter’s trajectory.

Surely enough (and thankfully, she’d realize afterwards), the Rapidash skidded to a halt and reared with a surprised neigh, before turning a little so that its rider could properly face Marnie.

“What the hell,” Bede deadpanned. “Do you have any idea of how dangerous that was ?”

“Sorry,” Marnie replied, regaining her calm at last. “In my defense, you were the one speedin’.”

“Trifles,” the boy huffed. He crossed his arms, glaring at her. “So, are you going to explain why you almost just sent us both to the hospital ? And make it short, I don’t have all day. You saw the broadcast, did you not ?”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m here.” Marnie frowned. “You goin’ to Hammerlocke, yeah ?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Please take me with you.”

“And why exactly would I do that ?”

Okay. That’s fine, Marnie had expected that. “I know you have no reason to. But stuff’s goin’ down there, and I wanna help Hop and Gloria. That’s what you’re gonna do too, yeah ? ‘M’ not caught up with everythin’, but you aren’t workin’ for the Chairman anymore, right ?”

The glare turned into a snarl. “I’m on my own side,” he bristled. “And I could care less about those two dimwits. But Chai-- the chairman did something with the Wishing Stars that _I_ gathered for his sake – used _my_ efforts after ditching me on the roadside, and _that_ does leave an unpleasant taste in my mouth.”

Marnie bit her lip. “I can get that. But however you're gonna phrase it, our goals align. Please, Bede. I’ll make it up to you, anyway you want. I promise.”

For a few seconds, the two children silently gauged each other, receiving intrigued looks from the people hurrying along around them. Rapidash huffed impatiently through its nostrils, hooves kicking at the pavement, and then Bede sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I do suppose… that I have no reason to refuse you,” he declared. “Here are my terms, then : it’s a long road to Hammerlocke, so if any wild Pokémon attack us on the way, I want yours to fend them off. I must ensure that Rapidash has enough stamina for the entire trip. Outside of that, there will be no disturbance whatsoever, are we clear ?”

Marnie’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “I’ll be good as gold.”

\---

And that was how Marnie found herself sitting behind Bede on his Rapidash, chasing off any wild Pokémon that might take interest in them, calling upon Morpeko when her yelling wasn’t enough.  
Bede, for his part, kept his full attention ahead of them and on his Pokémon’s condition, murmuring encouraging words to it – a display of softness somewhat unexpected from him.

Now wasn’t the time to think about it, though ; the unnaturally darkened sky was visible before Hammerlocke’s great spires were, red hues seemingly spreading wider by the minutes - and _not_ because they were getting closer.

Rapidash was just short of collapsing once they’d reached Hammerlocke’s outer walls. After ushered thanks and gentle caresses from both children, it was returned to its Pokéball.

Between the gloomy sky and the power outage they’d been told about, Hammerlocke was plunged in darkness. And apart from the roaring of the storm, it was eerily silent – looked like the Gym Leaders had managed to evacuate the town in time, at least. An alien screech tore through the wind just as red lightning struck the heavens, and both children felt the ground quiver beneath their feet. Biting her lip, Marnie felt a shiver run down her spine.

She met Bede’s eyes, which also bore traces of apprehension. But, steeling their resolve, they gave each other a brisk nod and raced down the streets towards Hammerlocke Stadium.

\---

They’d barely entered the Stadium’s hall when Bede abruptly skidded to a stop, causing Marnie to ram headfirst between his shoulders. When she expected to be berated, she found him instead taking a few steps back, eyes fixed before them in shock.

“Oleana, my dear, I assure you I can walk by myself.”

_Ah._

Marnie shook her head to clear off the previous impact, before taking stance besides the boy. A few meters before them, an exhausted-looking Oleana returned Bede’s expression with a quiet gasp. And right by her side, with barely a hair out of place, Chairman Rose met their gazes in (pleased ?) surprise.

“Now, what do we have here ?” (Marnie could practically feel every muscle tense in Bede’s body, and realized that her own shoulders had stiffened.) “Young Bede… and young Marnie. I must say, it’s an unexpected, but quite lovely pair. Have Gloria and Hop invited you to their little games ? Rowdy, endearing youth.”

Seeing as Bede still wouldn’t move (she noted, with some worry, that his breathing had gotten a little erratic), Marnie stepped up.

“Mr. Chairman,” she started calmly. “Despite the League’s obvious dislike of Spikemuth, you’ve given Piers an’ myself enough support, an’ we’re grateful for that much.”

(She allowed the little barb, because the apocalypse was quite literally upon their heads. Seeing that even Oleana didn’t so much as glare at her, she supposed they understood that.)

So Marnie grabbed her Liepard’s Pokéball. “However, there’s a line to be drawn with everythin’. An’ now would be a good time to do so, dontcha think ?”

But Rose merely rose his hands in a placating gesture. “Oh, you two needn’t concern yourselves with me. Young Gloria has already put my Pokémons out of commission ; I was merely making my exit from the lower floors while I still could.”

Right.

“Where are they now ? Gloria an’ Hop ?”

A loud collision echoed around them, shaking the hall’s walls, ceiling and floor.

“Leon arrived first and took on Eternatus, the legendary Pokémon awoken by the Wishing Stars,” the chairman explained, looking up. “Assuming he was already done with it, I had sent those two along, but… I suppose they are still at it, after all.”

Another crash.

Despite herself, Marnie bristled. “An’ you were just gonna leave the scene like that ?! Aren’t you the one who caused all of this ?! Y’know what – whatever.” She spotted the elevator behind the two adults, and marched furiously towards it. “C’mon, Bede, we can deal with ‘im later. For now, we gotta--”

“I am afraid you won’t find success there,” Rose called after her. “It has been put out of commission a little while ago. And with all these tremors, I wouldn’t recommend the stairs either.”

He sighed, shaking his head. “I fear there is nothing left for us to do besides placing our faith in our Champion and his protegees.”

“No.”

Everyone turned to Bede.

“No,” he repeated, voice low. With fists balled to his sides, daggers in his eyes and venom in his mouth, he looked ready for a fistfight. “Conveniently shooing us away ? That won’t happen. We’ve come here for a reason, and we’ll make our own way around this. Don’t even try to stop us – just because we aren’t your _favorites_ , doesn’t mean we can’t get shit done, _chairman_.”

Rose’s eyebrows raised in surprise. He didn’t look angry, but Bede still defiantly held his gaze.

“The energy emitted by Eternatus is the same as Wishing Stars’, correct ? In other words, it allows Pokémons to Dynamax, Gigantamax even.” Without waiting for a reply, Bede redirected his attention towards Marnie. “Let’s go. I have an idea on how to proceed.”

The girl had her own guess on the matter. She let Bede wordlessly pass the chairman, then both children ran towards the pitch. Though both felt Rose’s pensive eyes on them, neither did so much as a glance back.

\---

Oddly, standing in the middle of a completely empty stadium was more unnerving than when it was hosting thousands of people in its seats. The heavy air and roaring storm above their heads was probably to blame, though.

Marnie looked down at her Dynamax band. Surely enough, it was reacting, but the energy’s pulsing was irregular, occasionally flicking out for a few seconds before flaring back in.

“The energy’s unstable,” she commented aloud. “We should get enough height, but we’ll have to be careful.”

A few steps away, Bede was scrutinizing the sky. Marnie followed his gaze ; from here, they could see the shadow of a large, if skeletal Pokémon (was it even a Pokémon ?) cutting through red clouds.

“We ought to take some risks if we don’t want the entire region to collapse,” Bede eventually replied. He met Marnie’s eyes, and it seemed that his usual aloof confidence had fully returned. Good.

“Ready ?”

“When you are.”

They each took off to a corner of the pitch, as in a Gym Battle ; once a reasonable amount of distance was separating them, Marnie readied her Grimmsnarl’s Pokéball.

Energy crackled through the air, flowing between her wrist and palm ; catching the growing Pokéball in both hands, she released its occupant right where she stood. As soon as Grimmsnarl’s silhouette appeared, Marnie held onto its shoulders.

A second later, she was leaving the ground, surrounded by her Pokémon’s rapidly growing hair – a few strands wrapping protectively around her to keep her in place. A quick glance revealed Hatterene doing the same, with a flash of fuchsia indicating its Trainer also secured between the witch’s pastel tendrils.

Soon enough, both Gigantamaxed Pokémons were towering over the pitch, Trainers on their shoulders, heads in the raging storm and just looking down at the stadium’s summit.

From there, a whole new view was offered to them.

One, the supposed Eternatus, now fully visible ; a gigantic, glowing, otherworldly creature that had Marnie worrying, once again, whether it was subject to the same laws as they all were.

Two, Hop and Gloria, standing in the middle of the platform. Busy calling one command after the other to their Pokémons, all the while making sure the other’s back was always covered, they did not notice their reinforcements. (They looked so small.) Water bullets and fireballs restlessly shot by Inteleon and Cinderace towards Eternatus, the creature shrugging them off effortlessly.

Three, the debris their size flying erratically around them.

A blink, and they could get crushed.

They needed support _right now_.

Eternatus roared and rose higher in the sky, unfairly out of reach from the two Trainers stuck atop the Stadium, and Marnie’s command was out of her mouth before she even realized it.

Grimmsnarl’s hand shot out, grabbed at the creature’s tail and pulled down. Not a second later, Hatterene’s blue tendrils wrapped around its body, binding its spiny limbs against its thorax.

Just like earlier, the Dynamax energy pulse was erratic – Marnie could feel it both within her bracelet and within Grimmsnarl ; actually touching Eternatus made it worse. It seemed that Grimmsnarl and Hatterene wouldn’t be able to use actual moves, and that Hop and Gloria couldn’t even Dynamax their own Pokémons – not that their high, narrow location would allow it.

The latter two had definitely spotted them now, staring up in awe. Hop planted his feet evenly apart and thrust his hand to the sky, three fingers raised in Leon’s trademark pose. Gloria followed with a thumbs up, before both redirected their attention back to their opponent with newfound determination.

Lightning tore through the sky alongside another shrill cry from Eternatus ; immobilized, it received another round of Sniper Shots and Pyro Balls, this time hitting the bullseye perfectly – albeit obviously not enough to bring it down.

Eternatus broke free of its binds soon after, with a powerful energy wave that knocked the air out of Marnie’s lungs, and would have certainly made her fall had it not been for her Pokémon’s secure hold on her. Below, Hop, Gloria and their Pokémons were blown a few meters back, but immediately got back on their feet. A quick check assured her that Bede was still with them, too.

So Marnie, gently caressing the thick strands of her Pokémon’s dark hair, focused back on their foe – awaiting for the next chance to strike. Pulling back out her loudspeaker, she started cheering.

\---

As Eternatus visibly grew weaker, so did its patience. When it nearly collapsed and they thought that was it, it suddenly shot out to the sky like a rocket, with a blast of energy many times stronger than the previous ones, blowing all four of them back.

Watts sizzled around Marnie, and panic struck her as she realized that Grimmsnarl wouldn’t be able to hold its gigantic form any longer. Well, it couldn’t be helped ; she’d just have to hold on as her Pokémon would shrink back down, safely returning the both of them to the pitch.

She had not foreseen Grimmsnarl fainting in an explosion of energy, leaving her hanging thirty meters above solid ground.

She only had the time to witness Hatterene suffering the same fate before gravity claimed her.

She didn’t register herself screaming. She didn’t register Bede echoing her. They were in the middle of the pitch – there was nothing to catch them, nothing to hold onto. All she could see and think about was Hammerlocke’s spinning skyline and the rapidly approaching ground.

She was going to die, and could only pray that Bede had had more foresight, that Gloria and Hop would triumph--

“MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRR—”

She closed her eyes.

“—NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII _ **IIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE**_ **—** “

Something soft caught under her, slowing down her fall before making her gently bounce back up and down. Somewhere below her, she heard a tumble, followed by a crash. A strong, peculiar scent filled her nostrils ; and when she dared open her eyes again, she found herself surrounded by thick, greenish smoke.

“Wee.”

“There we go. Easy now, my dear Weezing.”

The smoke dissipated, gently dropping Marnie to her feet. She staggered on her shaking legs, and was only held upright by the Pokémon nudging against her back.

She looked up to Opal, still breathless. A Togekiss came gliding from where Hatterene had stood, a shaken but very much alive Bede holding tightly on its feathery back.

A few steps away, Piers was laying flat on his stomach, arms outstretched in front of him.

“Yeah, okay,” he grumbled against the ground, “I suppose that works too.”

Drawing the link with the shout and crash she’d heard earlier, Marnie realized that he’d intended to catch her ; and adding to her near-death adrenaline, it took her all she had to not just burst into tears right there.

Opal chuckled. “Young Piers, your attempt was touching, and I have no doubt it would have succeeded. But I also fear it would have costed a bone or two, and we might as well try to avoid that.”

Piers pulled himself up hastily. “Well, so long as Marnie’s safe and sound. And that no one else was there to see that. Marnie !!”

He ran up to her, pulling her into a tight hug. She hugged back immediately, still fighting the urge to cry. She felt five again, held in her big brother's arms as he soothed her fears away. She'd have to hold it back for now, though.

“And you, boy,” Opal scolded with a light twack of her umbrella on Bede’s head, just as he carefully dismounted Togekiss. “I didn’t spend all these weeks teaching you so you could run off and die at the first opportunity. I would really like to retire, now.” Her voice was stern, but lacked any anger.

“I had no intention to die,” Bede mumbled, rubbing his head. “What are you even doing there, grandma ? It’s dangerous.”

“Hah ! This grandma just saved your skin, so show some respect !”

“Yes, ma’am...”

Once she’d found back her voice, Marnie gently pulled away from her brother. “How did you know where to find us ?”

Piers huffed, glancing away with a frown. “I was around, havin’ helped Raihan evacuate the city an’ all. Then I got a text from the chairman telling me you were here and might get in trouble. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but I wasn’t riskin’ it.”

Opal smiled, recalling her Pokémons. “I got the same. Though I could have done without, obviously.”

Bede and Marnie shared a confused look.

“Where’s that guy now, anyway ?” Piers asked. “I mean, seriously, what’s happening ?”

But before the children could debrief their tutors, another loud rumbling came sounding above them. From the pitch, their view was limited, but all could see the metallic vortex that had taken Eternatus’ place, even larger than its previous reptilian form. Soon to engulf all of Galar in darkness, if not beyond.

They were still traces of a fight going on. Gloria and Hop were still up there, with no way for them to join and help.

“What now ?” Marnie murmured.

Piers put his hands on her shoulders. A pillar of light shot up from the summit, foreign howls cutting through the storm.

“Now,” Piers said, “we pray.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GameFreak really went and introduced a game mechanic that required 4 characters, gave us 4 main characters and then proceeded to… not link these two facts. Smh real hard
> 
> (Bede thanked Opal afterwards, when no one else could hear him. >_>)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be a one-shot, but I felt like the change of tone was too brutal. ^^’
> 
> There's one(1) mention of blood in there, but otherwise it's a peaceful little epilogue~

The excitement in the air was even more present this time around under Wyndon’s clear blue sky. The whole region was in effervescence, now that the Unbeatable Champion’s challenger had earned her own title as Hero and savior of Galar ; also now that no catastrophe would interrupt the event this time. No doubts the stadium’s hosting capacity would be at its very limit.

“Marnie !”

The girl in question turned around to see Hop waving his way through the crowd towards her.

“Hey.”

“It’s good to see you, mate !” Marnie noticed the dark circles under his eyes, and idly wondered if he had nightmares too.

(Most definitely. He _had_ left Hammerlocke stadium with blood on his jacket. Still, his smile was radiant and sincere, so she decided not to mention it.)

“You, too. Glad to see you made a good recovery. How’s Gloria?”

“Oh, man, she was back on her feet in no time, somehow. Lee, too – it’s like their need to settle it had them recovering faster ! Arceus, I’m not even the one who’s gonna fight, but I’m on fire. I envy your stoicism.”

Marnie gave a small smile of her own. “Cool. And I assure you, it’s only how I am ; I can’t wait, either. Gloria better show ‘im.”

“Yeah, I feel the same way ! If we couldn’t beat her, she has to win today ! Though a part of me will keep on cheering for Lee, I’m afraid,” he laughed bashfully.

Then, “what about Bede ? How’s he holdin’ up ?”

Marnie shook her head. “Sorry, I haven’t seen ‘im since. We might meet around, though.”

“Yeah ! We’ll really have to all fill each other in. You two were really cool, Dynamaxing like that ! You really helped out too – Glo and I owe you one, seriously.”

Marnie shook her head again. “We did what we had to do. I don’t mean to speak for Bede, but it was important for us both.”

(It had better be, with the four of them nearly dying and all.)

Within the crowd, a voice called Hop’s name. The boy looked back, before flashing Marnie an apologetic smile. “Sorry, gotta run now. I’ll see you around, yeah ?”

“Of course.”

“Cool ! Later, then !” And with a last grin and wave, he disappeared back into the crowd. Returning the gesture, Marnie only had time to see him catching up with a woman – his mother, supposedly – before they headed into the Stadium. The girl followed.

\---

She spotted Piers talking with Raihan, as they sat with the rest of the Gym Leaders in their reserved row close to the pitch. Before she could make her way towards them, though, a flash of magenta caught her eye.

She changed directions.

“Hey there,” she greeted.

Bede looked up. He didn’t return the greeting, but didn’t so much as frown either. So Marnie carried on ; “Just as we were talking about you.”

The boy raised an eyebrow, but she simply gestured to the seats below. “Aren’t you gonna sit with the other Gym Leaders ?”

Bede clicked his tongue. “I… would appreciate some time away from Opal right now.”

Below them, the Enchantress turned back and waved at them, smiling. Marnie politely returned the gesture ; Bede pretended to look away. “She’s been pestering me nonstop these last few days,” he explained.

“Heh, I get it.” She plopped down on the seat next to Bede’s. “Piers did the same, honestly. Mind if I stay here for the match ?”

Bede eyed her thoughtfully. “Suit yourself. Don’t expect me to be great company, though.”

“That’s fine.” She typed a quick text to her brother to let him know and checked the time. They still had about fifteen minutes before the match began.

She observed Bede from the corner of her eye. Unsurprisingly, he also bore traces of fatigue, but otherwise seemed to be in one piece (from as far as she could tell with that large coat of his, at least).

He looked deep in thoughts, and Marnie idly wondered if he knew about Rose turning himself in.

(Most definitely. While she knew little about it, what bound these two _was_ personal, and she wasn’t about to pry.)

“Who’re you gunna cheer for ?” Marnie asked instead, putting her backpack on her lap and releasing Morpeko.

“Hmph. Gloria, I suppose. If I couldn’t defeat her, she has to go all the way through, or else my pride will take a blow.”

Despite herself, Marnie giggled, earning a half-hearted glare. “What’s so funny ?”

“Sorry. It’s just that I met Hop earlier and we thought the same.”

“Hop,” Bede repeated quietly. “… how was he ?”

“About the same as you an’ me,” Marnie replied as Morpeko settled on her lap.

Bede nodded in understanding. They could have left it at that.

But then, Marnie caught on.

“Hey,” she inquired, a smirk grazing her lips. “Whatever happened to “I could care less about those two dimwits ?””

“Wh--” Bede spluttered indignantly. “It’s – it’s still there ! It’s just – It would be a real shame to have to bury anyone now, wouldn’t it ?”

“Sure would,” she answered teasingly. In her arms, Morpeko chirped happily.

The boy tsk’ed and turned away. Quietly, Marnie chuckled to herself.

Silence fell between them. It held for a few minutes.

“I’m going to take over Spikemuth Gym.”

“… Well, that makes two of us.” A glance. “Are you, uh… expecting advice ?”

“Not really, but thanks for the offer.” Marnie bit her lip. “Sorry, I guess that kinda came out of nowhere anyway.”

A noncommittal hum.

Seven minutes before the match started.

“Are you… happy with that ?”

Marnie turned to Bede. “Whaddya mean ?”

“Becoming a Gym Leader. Taking your brother’s succession. Is this what you really want, or was it just something decided for you ?”

(She’d already asked herself that many, many times.)

Morpeko whined softly, large beady eyes looking up at its Trainer. She shrugged.

“I wanted to become Champion so as to renovate Spikemuth a little, and for my own ambitions,” she eventually answered, absentmindedly scratching Morpeko’s ear. “But I’m outta the game now, and I think bein’ a Gym Leader would be the second best option. And, if I’m not satisfied with that, I’ll just have to sign up in the next Championships, yeah ?”

Morpeko gave another happy chirp, as Bede nodded alongside her answer. “Fair enough. I suppose... that it’s the same for me.” He sighed. “Not that I have much of a choice. But… not that I'm entirely unhappy with my current life, either.”

And then, he was holding his head back up, usual smirk on place and eyes shining anew. “Besides, it would have been a real shame for a Trainer of my caliber to just retire like that, wouldn’t it ?”

Marnie couldn’t help but smirk back. “Sure would.”

Three minutes.

“That means we’re bound to work together again sometimes, aren’t we ?” Bede asked then.

“Most likely.”

“Heh. I have to say, this could be worse.”

They exchanged knowing grins.

Then, the announcer’s voice boomed through the speakers, and the entire stadium lit up with cheering.

Marnie reached for her loudspeaker and fixed in anticipation the entrance from which Gloria would step out.

Her voice didn’t pack much yet, but she still intended to put all her energy into it, carrying and strengthening all of her friends’ determination.

She couldn’t tell what tomorrow had in store for them. She couldn’t wait to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s it for the first part ! :D 
> 
> As always, I hope I do these kids justice when writing them ! I’m afraid I make Marnie a lot more expressive than she is in canon… though she does give several small smiles during the game (thinking emoji) It's also my first posted fic on ao3 so I'm super nervous sdfghj
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed ! And that I'll see you again for the next part, which, EDIT : it's DEFINITELY gonna be more than a handful of weeks for it to come out, my bad ;~; got an active life again, mind already straying on other things, and it's gonna be around twice as long and a little more difficult to write. I'll do it, though, should it take me months ! oAo)/


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